Karaoke Night For One
by TheDragonSaver
Summary: After her falling out with Gori, Washimi is having mixed feelings on the entire situation. Maybe a chance encounter with a stranger will help her sort out her feelings? [Written for Unattainable Dreams' July 2019 Prompt Challenge] formerly "Strangers in the (Karaoke) Night"


**So, here's something a bit different from me, and in a whole new fandom that I recently got into! This one-shot here is for Unattainable Dream's July 2019 Prompt Challenge. I hope you enjoy! Oh, and SPOILERS for Season 2 of Aggretsuko!**

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Prompt: "Are you just trying to get me to talk about myself? Because if you are... I will gladly do so." -Tamatoa (Moana)

_**[For full effect of this story, please listen to the song "What's Love Got to Do with It?" by Tina Turner]**_

It was lonely in the karaoke room that night. Usually was filled with sounds of bad singing and the Death Metal screaming from a certain red panda and her friends. On this day, however, only a lone secretary bird occupied the room, doing her best to follow along with the American song coming out of the speakers.

Ever since Retsuko introduced Washimi and Gori to her secret passion for Death Metal, the trio often came to this karaoke room after their yoga class on Thursday. However, after their disastrous road trip, Washimi and Gori weren't on speaking terms, both too proud to admit that their argument over if marriage was fulfilling or not was ultimately pointless. So now the secretary bird, the right-hand girl of the CEO of the company they all worked for, was singing Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It?" alone and drunk in a karaoke room.

Washimi didn't have a particular reason to choose this song (she was more into Techo music, like Gori) but it seemed appropriate in the drunken heat of the moment. The lyrics "**_Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?"_** resonated with her for some reason. It was about halfway through the song that she felt a buzz from her pocket. The secretary bird instinctually paused her singing and picked up the phone, not bothering to see who would try and call her at this time of night.

"Retsuko, if this is about Gori and I again, then I'll say it again- I don't want to talk about it," Washimi said, her calm voice still in check.

"Uh, who's Retsuko?" asked a distinctly male voice.

Washimi's face flushed even more than it already was. "Oh, sorry sir. It seems that you somehow dialed the wrong number."

"That's what I get for not writing the number down," he sighed. "I'll have to get it from him tomorrow."

"I'll be letting you go then," Washimi replied, her finger already hovering over the 'End Call' button.

"Wait a minute!" he said, making the secretary bird pause. "It sounded like you were expecting someone with how immediate your response was. Is something up?"

"Frankly, sir, what goes on in my personal life isn't something I talk about with strangers," Washimi said.

"Then don't think of me a stranger, just someone that'll hear you out," he said. "My name's Aquila. There, you know my name, so we're not strangers anymore!"

If she wasn't drunk, Washimi probably would have hung up the phone at that moment. However, with everything that was going on in her life, maybe having someone to talk to would do some good for her? "If you insist listening to a grown woman complain about her life," the secretary bird sighed.

"I didn't have anything major planned for tonight anyway," Aquila said.

And so, in a display that she would probably never live down if her friends found out, Washimi told Aquila about everything that had happened over the past few weeks: how she had been married in the past and the subsequent divorce that happened only a few months in. How she saw it as a sign that marriage was a mistake and that she would focus solely on her work instead. How she became friends with Gori, and the two rising to be strong women in the workplace. Then how they met Retsuko at yoga class, going to karaoke nights together (leaving out the part about Death Metal), and how it all came to a head when they went on that damned roadtrip.

"… and after Retsuko told Todano how she really felt, they agreed to break off their relationship," Washimi said, finishing up her life story.

"Wow, that's a lot to go through," Aquila said. "I'm not married myself, so I don't know it was like for you, but I believe that both of you have valid points. Maybe you just rushed into a relationship too fast, or maybe marriage really isn't for you. What I do know is that you and Gori should make up, at least for Retsuko's sake."

"You know what, you're right," Washimi said. "This whole time we've been neglecting our friend's well-being. Even after we had our truce, Gori and I still aren't on speaking terms."

"Then the three of you should have a girl's night out," Aquila suggested. "Party, get drunk, do some karaoke. Once you put all out there and be honest with each other, then I'm sure your friendship will be even stronger than ever."

Washimi smiled at that. Well, she smiled the best she could for an animal with no facial muscles. "Yes, that sounds reasonable. Thank you, Aquila, for listening to an old bird's story," she said, blushing a little. "Honestly, it's a bit embarrassing how much I just told you."

"Some people just need to talk, and to do that they need someone to listen to them," Aquila stated. He let out a yawn. "Well, it's getting late. I should probably be heading out."

"Same here," Washimi said, noting that her time in the karaoke room was almost up.

"You know, I hope that the guy that wronged you got what was coming to him," Aquila stated. "It must have been a pretty big screw up if he lost a girl like you."

"Now don't go getting any ideas, Mr. Aquila," Washimi said. "I'm still not up for any relationships in the near future."

"Hey, I'm just saying," Aquila laughed. "If being friends with you is the best I can get, then I'll take it."

"Good night, Mr. Aquila," Washimi said, her voice stern but in a playful manner.

Hanging up her phone, the secretary bird left the karaoke room that night a bit more hopeful for the future. Unknown to her, on the other side of the city, Aquila was also heading home, his thoughts on Washimi and her reuniting with her friends as he road that late-night subway. Whether it be coincidence or fate, the two had connected that night, and what looked to be a beautiful friendship was written in the stars.

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**Author's Note**

**I hope you enjoyed this story! Sorry if Washimi seemed a bit OOC, but I figured that if was drunk that she would be a bit more loose than she normally is. ****The idea just popped into my head to have Washimi sing "What's Love Got to Do with It?" and the rest of the story just came from there. The prompt was an interesting one to work a story around, so I thought that having an outside person get Washimi to open up and talk about her feelings would be an interesting idea. Washimi is a person that's set in her ideals, so to have a person that she could talk to about those complex emotions she was going through in season 2 seemed like a good idea.**

**Washimi is my favorite character on the show (besides Haida) and I was genuinely upset when she and Gori had their falling out. Hopefully if we get a Season 3 the two baddest girls in the office will make up. I want the best for both of them, in their friendship and in their love lives!**

**Aquila is owned by me!**

**Washimi and Aggresuko is owned by Sanrio, TBS and Netflix!**


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